Platform-bridge.



3. E. HOWARD.'

PLATFORM BRIDGE.

APPLICATION MLBD AUG. 7, 1914,

l pl 3l Si Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

fj Hoz/mag 7 P of New York,

Jenn' n. now/ann or nnrn, new Yoan.

attentes.

application area august r, rele.

T0 all tv/0m it may/ concern:

Be it known. that l, JOHN E. HOWARD, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Erin, in the county of Chemung and State has invented certain new and' useful lmprovements in Platform-Bridges, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in platform bridges,

which constructions are fcommonly called race-pieces by railroad employees when the same are employed in -eonneetio'nwith railroading.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a removable bridge positionable between the platforms of adjacently positioned Lrailway cars.for the' transfer of freight therebetween, and so constructed as i to prevent any displacement of the bridge when in use, andfthus preventing the accidental falling of loo-th goods and employees. A further object 1s to provide a bridge for employment with 'freight and transfer platj forms so constructed as to prevent the samev 25 from accidental displacement, and being ca- 'titl pable of tting and forming a connection between platforms of variable height, as well as distances apart.

A still further object is to provide a racepiece or bridge adaptable for use for all equipment of the railroad, and engageable therebetween by 'means of an adjustable locking cleat slidably mounted thereon.

1With these general objects in' view and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same oonsists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be .hereinafter more fully described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

lln the drawings forming apart of this applicatien and in "which like-designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views, Figure l is a perspective view of'j-the device operatively positioned between two open freight cars. Fig. 2 is a perspective-` view of the under side of the device. flig. 3 is a transverse sectional view thereof,A and 'Fig'. 4 is a detail sectional enlarged view of one of the cleat conv nections.

Referring more -in detail to the drawings, the invention broadly consists in a ymovable platform orbridge lOwhich is .adapted to be positioned between two freight carssuch specification of Letters raient sired to' position Lratent-,eunaar. le, reis.. Serial No. l.

yas 11 fory the purpose of Ireadily transferring freight from one car tothe other, it 'being of course understood that the bridge 'is'equally adaptable for positioning. between one car and a stationary platform, or between platforms and movable trucks.

"lhe bridge .isin the'form of a flat board .having its opposite ends 12 beveled and is provided 'with a transverse cleat'13 rigidly secured to the bottom thereof and slightly spaced from one end of the board and in parallel relation to the said end. A. movable cleat 1t of substantially the same thickness as the cleat 13, is slidably positioned beneath the board-and adjacent the oppositeend thereof from -said cleat 13, and is positioned at all timesparallel tol said cleat 13 as well as'to the adjacent end of the board.

The board is provided with arcuate slots 15 with enlarged upper portions forming a marginal shoulder 16 for each of said slots. .ri-i post 16 is positioned upwardly projecting from the cleat 14 adjacent the opposite ends thereof and projects through theadjacent slot 15 being provided with an enlarged head 17 adapted to ride upon the shoulder 1li. An operating' lever 18 is pivoted as at 19 to the lower face ofthe board and has a projecting handle 20 projecting outwardly from one side thereof. A rack 2l is secured to the lower face of the hoard, and projects over the lever 18 and is provided with a plurality of notches 22 On its under face and adapted to receive the lever when positioned in its desired adjustment, it being noted that the outer free end of the lever is normallyr maintained in engagement with the racl: teeth. v

A suitable connecting bracket 23 is rigidly secured to the inner face of the cleat 14: and is pivoted as at 24: to the lever 18 substantially centrally thereof. lll/*hen it is deplatforms or cars, the cleat 14- is movedto its innermost point by moving the lever handle 20 as far as possible toward that end of the board upon which thecleat 13 is mounted.

with its ends resting upon the two platforms and with the cleat 13 flatly engaging the same, and whereupon a reverse movement of the lever handle 20 will force the cleat ld against the other platform, thus firmly positioning the bridge and preventing any accidental displacement thereof, it being noted the bridge between two rl`he board is then positioned of slightly dilierent hei ghts,

- shown and described to be preferable embodiments thereof, it

that the llever I18 isthen positioned in engagement with the teeth of the rack 21 for retaining the cleat 14 in its adjusted. position. By this arrangement of elements, the bridge is so positionable between platforms i as Well as those positioned diierent distances apart.

While the forms of the invention herein are what are believed through said slots, an adjustable operatingl lever for said movable cleat- 2), AQ platform bridge comprising a Spanning Aboard having arouate slots therethrough adiacent one end thereof, a mov:- ablecleat `beneath said board, posts carried by said cleat and extending through said slots, and provided with heads countersunk ,of said board,

in the upper sides of `said slots and movable therein, a transversely positioned operating leverl pivoted at one end to said board, con- -nec ing means rigidly secured at one end to salv cleat and pivoted at its other end to saidy lever, andy automatic lookin means for retaining said lever in adjuste position.

A platformlgridge comprising a spanning board, a spaced cleat secured beneath one end of said board, a rack engaging said cleat and' secured beneath the adjacentedge the said board being provided with arcuate slots at'the opp'ositeend thereand having countersunk encircling shoulders, postslmslidably mounted within said slots,l and having heads positioned upon said shoulders, a removable cleat attached to said posts beneath said board, a resilient operating lever pivoted beneath said board, and extending beneath said rack and adapted for automatically engaging the teeth thereof in its adjusted positions, connecting means pivoted to said lever and rigidly secured to said movable cleat.

l ln testimony whereof 1 aff@ my Signature in, presence of two witnesses.

Jenn nnovvann.

Witnesses ,lossen E, RoponBN, Henny H. Have, 

